Mysteries grow as more information revealed in double-slaying
By MARTHA RAFFAELE
The Associated Press
LITITZ, Pa. - The relationship between 18-year-old David Ludwig and 14-year-old Kara Borden was a closely guarded secret.
There was good reason for the two teens to keep things quiet: Their four-year age difference displeased their parents.
"They weren't officially boyfriend and girlfriend because their parents didn't approve of them being together," said 16-year-old Stephanie Mannon, one of Kara's neighbors. "Sometimes they would secretly get together."
Tensions in the Borden household spilled over early last Sunday, when police say Ludwig fatally shot Kara's parents, Michael and Cathryn Borden, following an argument over their relationship and then abducted the girl. He is being held without bail on murder and kidnapping charges after being flown back to Lancaster County on Tuesday from Indiana, where police captured him following a chase.
As additional information was released throughout the week about Ludwig and Kara Borden, the number of unanswered questions in the case only seemed to grow.
Police say they consider Kara a victim, but that their investigation is continuing. In court filings, Ludwig's attorney said that any surveillance tapes that can be obtained from stops the pair made along the way to Indiana will show she was not kidnapped.
Kara's sister, Katelyn, told police she met Ludwig in May and saw him regularly at a support group for home-schooled students - neighbors say Kara and Ludwig met through such a group - as well as at church and at the Borden house.
"She (Katelyn) knows him well, and considered him to be a friend," according to court papers describing Katelyn's interview with police.
Both teens were raised in loving families and educated at home, those who know the families said. Kara is one of five children, including two adult brothers who live out of state; Ludwig has two younger sisters.
"They were good kids and they were brought up very well. What I see is, they just made some bad choices," said Vera Zimmerman, 50, who has known the Bordens for seven years and is acquainted with Ludwig's mother. Her 26-year-old daughter Reba also worked as the family's housekeeper.
Those who know Kara describe her as a bubbly, outgoing girl who occasionally babysat younger children in her neighborhood and liked to play soccer.
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But Zimmerman recalled a conversation several months ago in which Cathryn Borden expressed concerns about Kara's interest in boys. Kara was allowed to go out unsupervised, as along as she was with girls, Zimmerman said.
"It was boys in general," Zimmerman said about the source of Cathryn Borden's worries. "At one point, they had cut off her Internet service because of her connection with David."
One close friend of Ludwig's, Samuel P. Lohr, apparently knew how serious the relationship was, according to a search-warrant affidavit filed in court. During an interview with police on Monday, Lohr, 19, said he was "well aware" that the two "were involved in an ongoing secret intimate relationship of a sexual nature."
He also told police that Kara and Ludwig often exchanged "flirtatious messages" and "inappropriate images" of one another electronically, the affidavit said.
Cristen L. Frederick, a co-worker of Ludwig's at a Lancaster electronics store, said she was aware of his relationship with Kara, but that Ludwig didn't openly discuss it. Frederick, a 23-year-old college student, described Ludwig as "optimistic and happy and just an all-around good kid."
Ludwig, who had been working at the store for about five months, mentioned to Frederick on one occasion that he had talked to Kara about the possibility of seeing each other less frequently and "just hanging out as friends."
"He said she seemed OK with it," Frederick said.
Isaiah Bomberger, a 17-year-old fellow home-schooler, said he was surprised to learn about the relationship. Bomberger said he and Ludwig, who had recently visited Houghton College, a Christian college in western New York state, expected to graduate at the end of this school year.
"They were friends, but I couldn't have said they were boyfriend and girlfriend," Bomberger said.
Bomberger said he initially couldn't believe the news about the killings and that he later felt "numb."
But a dark side of Ludwig was revealed in court documents released Friday. In an 18-minute video recovered from a laptop computer in his home, Ludwig is seen discussing plans to conduct an armed raid on another family's home, the documents said.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-11192005-572816.html
